What makes you feel grateful at work? At Technical.ly, it’s culture and flexibility

Did you know Technical.ly earned its first dollar in 2009? That’s 14 years before I joined the team. In just under 100 days (83, to be exact), I’ll mark one year as the lead reporter for Technical.ly’s Baltimore market. By then, we’ll be celebrating Technical.ly’s 15th anniversary.

Technical.ly has learned a thing or  two, or 70, about teams in that time.

One of the team rituals we uphold here at Technical.ly is our weekly Monday morning standup, a gathering designed for team-wide communication.

It’s typically guided by a prompt from our VP of operations, Carrie Brooke. This week’s directive was centered on expressing thanks. My Technical.ly teammates, in their usual fashion, delved into personal aspects of our lives that might resonate universally, such as childcare and self-care, and how remote work makes that easier. From these discussions emerged a wealth of professional gratitude.

Recognizing that these team dynamics could foster a supportive work environment in any company, I want to share additional insights into how we cultivate such an environment. The insights shared here were distilled from our Monday morning standup before Thanksgiving, condensed for brevity and clarity:

Prioritize flexibility for health and family.

Acknowledge and support team members during personal challenges, such as health issues or family emergencies. Flexible work arrangements like asynchronous or remote work to accommodate employees’ needs helps ensure a healthy work-life balance.

Dedicate regular time toward building a positive and supportive team culture.

Maybe it’s not a Monday morning standup — maybe it’s a Taco Tuesday happy hour? Whatever it is, in order to foster a team culture that values its team members’ individual contributions, set time to rally your team in a space where they might share their feelings and celebrate their wins.

Like Technical.ly, you might also consider conducting periodic surveys to assess team dynamics and identify areas of strength and challenges alike.

Encourage the pursuit of dream jobs.

Create an environment that encourages employees to pursue their dream jobs within the company. It’s OK to recognize that this might not be a team member’s final destination. Support team members in manifesting career opportunities aligned with their aspirations.

Adapt in the face of change.

Embrace change and encourage innovation to stay relevant. Technical.ly was once an almost entirely in-office workplace, before the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, along with plenty of other companies, we’ve shifted to remote and asynchronous work.

We also once had an events-driven business model. The pandemic changed that. Now, we focus on business services for hiring companies and ecosystem builders alike, while maintaining a storytelling mission at the center.

Keep an open mind for what your workplace could be.

Our editorial calendar theme for December is Leadership Development Month. As a leader, how does your company actively cultivate an environment where the aspirations and dreams of your team resonate amidst the daily grind and the tasks aligned with your company’s mission? Envision the future trajectory of your organization if you empower your teammates to dream expansively about the optimal workplace, both within your company and beyond. How might that future workplace look?

How does your team or leadership cultivate a supportive work environment? What are you professionally grateful for this year? Share your insights and experiences with us at alanah@technical.ly.